Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has been reelected as head of the ruling United Russia Party.

The vote came at a party conference on January 22, with Medvedev running unopposed. He has been party chairman since May 2012.

Speaking to delegates ahead of the vote, Medvedev said that opposition parties might use the regional elections scheduled for September 10 to "effectively begin the presidential campaign early."

"Our party must not yield to provocations and must not get involved in political intrigues," he said.

He added that United Russia, which holds a constitutional majority in the State Duma and controls the central government and most regional administrations, "is a ruling party" and "the main political resource" of President Vladimir Putin.

Russia held parliamentary elections in September 2016. The presidential election is set for March 11, 2018.